A Simulation Study on Heat Transfer of a Three-Layer Contact Structure under Ultrahigh Heat Flux Considering Thermal Contact Resistance

This paper investigates interfacial heat transfer characteristics in a multi-layer structure under ultra-high heat flux conditions, focusing on thermal contact resistance (TCR) between adjacent layers. A three-layer computational model with dual rough interfaces was developed to systematically analyze the synergistic effects of interfacial pressure, surface emissivity, and thermal interface materials (TIMs). Surface reconstruction using experimental measurement data generated two representative roughness models to quantify the impact of surface roughness on heat dissipation. Numerical simulations demonstrate that the absence of TIMs leads to insufficient thermal dissipation capacity under ultra-high heat flux conditions. Compared to TIM application, merely increasing the convective heat transfer coefficient shows limited effectiveness in enhancing heat dissipation efficiency.